Client Services Groups

Information & Services for

Desktop Administrative Labs

In addition to OIT Labs, certain departments may desire their own computer facilities to support their students specialized needs. In order to assist with the maintenance of these labs, OIT offers Department Lab Image support.

Departments will need to purchase Deep Freeze from OIT. A copy will need to be purchased for each individual departmental lab machine. Using this software will allow the machine to have a maintenance period set which will allow the machine to be patched and software upgraded as needed. When issues occur on the machine, the machine should be rebooted and this sets the machine to a 'like-new' software state.

A restore image is a DVD, a set of DVD's, or a set of CD's which allow the computers to be 'restored' to the pristine state when they are first set up. This removes all corrupted data from the machine, restores any software which may have been lost, removes unwanted software, and sets the machine to a 'like-new' software state.

The image also creates unity in the lab, as all machines will have the same configuration using the same software. This software can include department specific items, as well as specific customizations.

In addition, these labs can utilize all the same tools used by Desktop Support to update Windows and anti-virus software, and give the desktop associates increased ability to quickly resolve issues themselves.

The standard computer in a lab is Dell, {Latitude/Optiplex} which are fully supported by OIT. If non-standard computers are used, the lab must have 4 or more machines, using the same hardware on all machines. All software not provided by OIT as part of the universal desktop image must be provided by the department, along with verification of the correct number and types of licenses as required. A full time faculty/staff member must be available as the lab contact. During the setup phase, we will need one of the machines to build and test the image. This will take between 2 and 4 weeks. In addition, Deep Freeze licenses are required for each machine. We have created a Department Lab Questionnaire to help you fill out the information we will request.

If you feel you could benefit from this service, would like more information, or are considering setting up a department lab, please contact the Help Desk and open a ticket requesting a department lab image. Then fill in as much as possible from the Department Lab Questionnaire. A Desktop Infrastructure technician will contact you to get this information and answer any questions. Please note that request made for department lab images outside of the periods given above may be closed until the appropriate times, and would need to be resubmitted by the requestor at the appropriate time.

Desktop Infrastructure technician will give you a single image for your lab, detailed instructions for restoring machines, and increased support ability using associates and a common lab configuration. After the first week of testing, we will provide a yearly update if requested by the lab.

Any department that has their own departmental lab MUST have a FT person who is responsible for maintaining that lab. That person is responsible for doing the following when issues occur in their lab before calling helpdesk for any support:

Reboot the machine and see if issue/s go away.

If rebooting does not fix the problem, FT person MUST reimage the machine/s having issues with the ghost image provided. This should resolve most of the software issues arise.

If rebooting and reimaging does not fix the problem, then the FT person can call helpdesk@uta.edu at 817-272-2208 to create a call ticket.

Please note that due to demand on desktop support, department lab restore images are only offered twice a year. Request for images must be made in March/April, or October/November. This includes update requests.